Abby Narishkin: I'm Abby.
Sophie-Claire Hoeller: And I'm Sophie.
Abby: We're both seasoned travelers,
but neither of us has ever been on a cruise.
Sophie: Does a booze cruise count?
Abby: [laughing] I don't think that counts.
Sophie: So, no.
Abby: But we decided we would try
the world's largest cruise ship, then review it.
Sophie: We chose a seven-day cruise aboard
Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas.
Abby: It has amenities like zip lines, robot bartenders,
waterslides and, of course, a lot of places to eat.
Sophie: Starting in Miami, our cruise stopped
in St. Martin, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas.
Abby: All the good stuff for our first cruise.
While we're on board, we're gonna be ranking the cruise
on four criteria:
convenience, accommodation,
amenities and food.
Sophie: All to see if we'll ever set foot
on a cruise again.
Abby: I think I'm most worried about the food.
I'm a huge foodie, and I've heard that there's a lot of food
but not necessarily, like, the best quality.
Sophie: Crowds, people, I don't usually like to go
to all-inclusive resorts or anywhere where I think
there's gonna be a lot of other people when I'm on vacation.
Abby: I'm a harsh critic, but I'm ready
to have my mind changed, so.
Sophie: We are ready.
Abby: Let's go on this cruise.
Sophie: Let's go!
Abby: We made it!
Sophie: Hi.
Abby: A lot of stuff.
So, we just arrived in Miami.
It's wonderfully hot.
We're so pumped.
Our friend is gonna pick us up from the airport,
but as we were walking through baggage claim,
we saw that there's an airport transfer
that Royal Caribbean provides.
Wish we had known about that, but we got a ride,
so we'll see you at the port.
We are currently waiting in traffic to get onto the ship.
And I don't even know how long it's gonna take.
Sophie: Thankfully, it lasted only 10 minutes,
so we were a little early for our 12:30 boarding time.
Abby: That whole feeling overwhelmed by crowds
is already setting in, and we haven't even
stepped foot out of the car yet.
Sophie, we made it!
Sophie: Organized chaos is the best way
to describe the terminal.
Abby: You can check your bags
and crew members will drop them off at your room,
but we carried our bags straight on.
Sophie: Inside the terminal, it's a party.
Abby: While we can't show you the security,
I promise you it's easy to get through.
You just need your passport and your mobile ticket.
Sophie: Insider tip: Make sure you get the app.
It makes boarding so much faster.
The entire ship is cashless,
so you charge any additional expenses to your room key
and pay the balance at the end.
Abby: If you forget something, there are vending machines
with toiletries, medicine, and technology,
but it's pretty pricey.
I paid $6.25 for a toothbrush.
After we got our keys, we went downstairs
for the safety talk.
With everyone in the theaters, the crowds were huge.
The elevators were also really crowded,
so we mostly just used the stairs.
But usually we weren't that annoyed
with the number of people.
Sophie: They did a really good job
of spreading everybody out.
The ship's broken down into what they call neighborhoods,
and everybody seems to, like, find a neighborhood they like
and sort of stay there.
Abby: But even though the ship's big,
the signage does a really good job
of helping you figure out where you're going.
There are touch-screen maps on every floor,
and Royal Caribbean is testing out an app
to help with navigating the ship.
Sophie: One note on convenience: the water situation.
Water fountains were sort of few and far between,
and while you could go to a bar and ask for a cup of water,
you couldn't get a bottle of water
unless you had a water package.
Abby: I ended up just filling up my personal water bottle
in the sink in my bathroom.
Sophie: Which, we checked; that is drinkable.
Because the ship is traveling through different time zones,
it stays on Miami time the entire week.
So when you're on an island, stick to ship time.
Otherwise, you might miss the ship.
Abby: And they're not waiting for you.
We learned that. [laughing]
Sophie: Really surprising to me how easy it was
to get on and off the ship, both in Miami
when we were boarding and disembarking,
but also just when we're going to port
and getting back from ports.
I'm gonna give it a four,
and the only reason I'm taking a point off is
'cause I'm lazy, and the ship is really big.
Like, there were points in the day
where I was like, "I really want a taco,
but it's really far, and I'm just gonna eat
in the restaurant that's by my room."
Abby: I'm gonna give convenience a three.
It was easy to get on and off the ship,
but you could end up spending a lot of extra money
if you weren't careful,
and you ended up having to, like, fight for the amenities
'cause there were so many people
and there was a lot of lines.
Honestly, I feel like one of the biggest things
about cruises that people are worried about
are the size of the rooms, and this is
much bigger than I thought it would be.
Sophie: Each of our rooms had a queen-size bed,
a lot of storage space, a mini fridge,
and an en suite bathroom.
WiFi was not included in the cruise ticket,
and it cost $30 per day for two devices,
which you had to switch between.
Abby: Don't use your cellphone thinking
that you can have normal data charges.
I got charged over $100 for cruise data,
and I didn't even have my data on for that long.
I also have an ocean-view balcony room,
so I have this gorgeous view of Miami.
If you get to choose, pick the ones on the outside,
'cause the view is beautiful and
it's, like, kind of enclosed
so you feel like you have your own little spot
and you get the ocean when you wake up in the morning.
Sophie: That was my favorite part.
Just sitting on my balcony drinking a coffee.
The ocean.
Abby: Finally, plan for gratuity fees.
There's nothing you can do about them,
so don't be surprised when you see them on your bill.
For us, it was a $15 daily charge.
Sophie: Accommodation: five.
I mean, my room was really spacious.
Clearly, there was thought put behind it.
Abby: Our accommodations, we got lucky
'cause we did get balconies,
but I would give it a five.
Sophie: I mean, it's the world's largest cruise ship,
but that was actually the biggest surprise for me too.
I was just like, "How many restaurants and bars
and activities actually fit on this ship?"
Abby: Day three! We are about to go do
some really fun things,
like the zip line and the Ultimate Abyss,
the slide that goes from the 16th deck
all the way to the sixth
where you can race your friends.
So, a lot of fun things in store today,
and I'm really pumped!
Let's go.
Abby: So, I met people on board that only go on
Royal Caribbean ships that have a surfer machine.
Sophie: Do you remember the guy who said,
"If it don't flow, I don't go"?
Abby: Oh, yeah, I remember him!
He was really good at the flow-riding machine.
Sophie: So good!
Abby: Almost as good as you.
You were amazing.
I failed, fell on my face every single time I tried.
So, we're at the pool, enjoying the day.
It's really weird how small the pools are.
For having 6,000 people on this ship,
they're pretty tiny.
Sophie: So, there were a lot of little pools,
but because of how the ship was designed,
with the park, central park in the middle,
there wasn't one big pool.
So, to me, the little pools just got really crowded.
But the waterslides were great.
Abby: Then there were the performances,
like the aqua shows, the musicals, and ice skating.
Sophie: We're here in the Royal Theater
about to watch their Broadway-level,
multimillion-dollar production called "Flight."
♪ Dare to dream ♪
♪ Dare to fly ♪
Abby: What'd you think of the show?
Sophie: It was good.
It was Broadway level.
There's also an escape room, rock climbing, bars,
a basketball court, a Starbucks, an outdoor park,
sushi-making classes, and a gym.
Abby: Sorry for sounding like I'm dying.
I just got finished with a run, but here is the gym.
Here's the track that runs the entire perimeter of the ship.
Look at that! It goes all the way down.
Amenities I think I'm gonna give a five.
I was so impressed with just
the diversity of options to keep you busy.
Rock climbing all the way to cupcake-making classes.
There was something for every kind of person
at every point in the day.
Sophie: I'm also gonna give it a five.
I will say, I was super overwhelmed
by just how many things there were to do and see,
but you'll never get bored.
Sophie: We love to eat, and I think we were both
a little concerned about the food situation,
especially for a week.
Abby: There are 23 dining options on Symphony,
serving up everything from tacos
to mushroom-shaped desserts to lobster rolls.
And some of the restaurants, like the buffets
and main dining, are included in the ticket.
So, this is everything that's included.
You get a New York strip, some lobster tail.
And there's Sophie.
Sophie: But the 12 specialty restaurants cost extra,
up to $50 a person, so, of course,
we had to try all the food we possibly could on board
to give you a full review.
I think I'm gonna give food a low four or a high three.
So, for the food, the specialty food was amazing.
Like, really, the truffle pasta.
Like, we ate like kings.
But I thought that the food that was included,
the buffet, the main dining,
that, to me, was, like, pretty standard fare.
Wasn't super into that.
Abby: I think I'm gonna give food a five, actually.
Because if you are willing to shell out a little bit
of extra money, I mean, the food is delicious,
and I was surprised that there were some dishes on there
that I actually was, like, thinking about
after we'd finished the meals.
Sophie: Forgot about the tacos, forgot about the pizza.
That was included, and those were both really, really good.
Abby: Really delicious.
Can you eat tacos for an entire week straight?
Sophie: I can. Abby: Well, I mean, I can. So.
[laughing]
Sophie: OK, I'm gonna give it a four. You're right.
Abby: I moved ya.
We officially made it seven days.
How're you feeling?
Sophie: Feeling good.
Tired.
Abby: The food was amazing,
and I loved the water sports on board.
Sophie: I think my favorite part of the week was,
honestly, when we were off the ship.
Abby: Yeah, definitely.
The islands were so beautiful, and we got to see so many
in such a short amount of time.
Sophie: Yeah, that was true.
Abby: Where are we, Sophie?
Sophie: We're in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Abby: About to go spend the day on the beach!
Sophie: Yay!
Abby: So, Sophie, are you a cruise convert?
That's a term that people use for newbies, like us,
who have never been on cruises.
They want to convert us.
Sophie: I'm not a cruise convert.
Never say never.
I can totally understand why people go on cruises,
especially families and older people.
To me, it was not an authentic experience.
It was...I'm not somebody who likes Disneyland
or amusement parks either.
So, for me, it was just that but in boat form.
Ship form.
Abby: Ship form. [laughing]
That's the biggest thing.
Sophie: Don't say boat. Don't call it a boat.
It's not a boat, it a ship.
Abby: It's a ship. [laughing]
Yeah, cruising is not my normal travel style either.
I prefer getting lost in the city
and eating the street food,
but for people that want a convenient, relaxing vacation
or for first-time travelers that don't really know
how to plan, I suggest going on a cruise.
The ship has so many amenities,
and you're never gonna get bored.
It's just an easy way to travel.
Sophie: It's true.